‘Presidential Alert’ will be sent to virtually all U.S. cell phones Wednesday. It’s just a test.

The nation’s consumer cell phones, virtually all of them, will buzz at roughly 2:18 p.m. EDT with a “Presidential Alert,” but please don’t panic or stop your business meeting. It’s just a test. The Federal…

The nation’s consumer cell phones, virtually all of them, will buzz at roughly 2:18 p.m. EDT with a “Presidential Alert,” but please don’t panic or stop your business meeting. It’s just a test.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will conduct the first test of the Wireless Emergency Alert system at 2:18, followed by a test of the Emergency Alert System, to radios and televisions, at 2:20 p.m.

FEMA, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, will send the cell phone message through its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, a centralized internet-based program that enables the distribution of emergency messages, largely for national emergencies, through multiple networks.

In this case, the message header will be “Presidential Alert,” followed by the message, in ALL CAPS, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”